1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a color communication apparatus capable of communicating color data.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, a communication apparatus, such as a facsimile apparatus or the like, is mostly used in a company, a school or the like, and is shared in many cases by a plurality of people, departments or the like.
A commonly used facsimile apparatus prints received image information and various kinds of reports indicating communication results or the like only in black.
Recently, a demand for color printing has increased in the field of communication apparatus, such as facsimile apparatus or the like, as well as in the field of copiers.
Accordingly, the provision of color facsimile apparatus has been desired. However, a color facsimile apparatus which prints various kinds of reports in black as a conventional black-and-white facsimile apparatus does not effectively utilize a color printing function. Furthermore, if a communication control report including a plurality of communication results is printed only in black, it is difficult to determine each of the communication results.
Moreover, if a confidential document is received in such a facsimile apparatus, a confidential document reception report is always printed in the same color, and a confidential document reception message is always displayed on an operation panel in the same color.
The above-described conventional approach has a disadvantage in that it is impossible to know to whom a confidential document is sent unless a confidential box number printed on a confidential box report or displayed on the operation panel is seen.
In some of conventional facsimile apparatuses, such as G3 machines or G4 class-1 machines, a call identification line for a received document is printed. That is, in such a facsimile apparatus, a call identification line including the abbreviated name and telephone number of a transmitter is printed at the head of the received output document sheet.
In a conventional facsimile apparatus, however, a call identification line is always printed in black. Hence, the conventional approach has a disadvantage in that it is difficult to understand at a glance from where a received document comes unless the contents of the call identification line are read.
As described above, a communication facsimile apparatus as the disadvantage that information relating to a received document, a report on communication results or the like cannot be understood at a glance.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a color communication apparatus which solves the above-described problems.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a communication status can be grasped at a glance by printing a communication control report at a communication terminal apparatus in different colors in accordance with kinds of communication operations.
According to another aspect, the present invention relates to a color communication apparatus comprising reception means for receiving confidential documents, storage means for storing a confidential document received by the reception means in a confidential box, color registration means for registering a color for each confidential box of the storage means, and output means for outputting a confidential document reception report using a color for a confidential box of the storage means registered in the color registration means.
In the above-described configuration, by outputting (for example, printing or displaying) a confidential document reception report and a confidential document reception message in the color registered for the confidential box storing the received confidential document, it is possible to determine to whom the condifential document has been transmitted by merely seeing the color of the report and the message.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a color communication apparatus from which one can easily determine to whom data have been transmitted by merely glancing at received output paper.
This object is accomplished, according to another aspect of the present invention, by a color communication apparatus comprising registration means for registering color information preset corresponding to identifying information, such as a subaddress or the like, received from a network, such as an ISDN (integrated services digital network) or the like, selection means for selecting color information registered in the registration means according to identifying information received from the network when image information is received, and printing control means for printing transmitter""s information in the received image information according to the selected color information as header information or the like.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a color communication apparatus from which one can identify a communication partner by merely glancing the color of a call identification line of a at received document.
This object is accomplished, according to another aspect of the present invention, by a color communication apparatus in which a color information table corresponding to a communication partner""s terminal is included color information from the color information table according to an identifier of the communication partner""s terminal transmitted from the communication partner""s terminal is selected and a call identification line in a color corresponding to the color information is printed.
The foregoing and other objects and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.